Vatican City State in 1999

Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano, who heads a pontifical commission of five cardinals

The year 1999 was one of final preparation for an enormous flood of pilgrims expected to celebrate the millennial Jubilee of 2000, a spiritual interlude established by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300. Reconstruction projects in Vatican City included restoration of the facade of Saint Peter’s Basilica, which was unveiled in early autumn.

Pope John Paul II was very active during the year promoting peace and harmony throughout the world. He visited Mexico and the United States in January and returned to Poland, his homeland, in June. On the Kosovo issue he spoke of the need to promote a peace that was respectful of diversity yet rooted in a common concern for fundamental liberties. During the pope’s visit to Romania in May, his first apostolate to a major Orthodox country, he celebrated the Eucharist in the presence of Patriarch Teoctist of the Romanian Orthodox Church. This encounter was of historic importance in the Vatican’s effort to reconcile differences that had separated Roman Catholics from the Orthodox faithful almost 1,000 years earlier. Ironically, it was thought that this overture could eventually lead to a decline in the hierarchical importance of the pope vis-à-vis the Orthodox patriarchs, who had enjoyed religious autonomy since early Christian times.

Among several elevations toward sainthood during the year, the most controversial was the beatification of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, a much beloved southern Italian Capuchin monk who died in 1968. Padre Pio was a stigmatic (that is, he reputedly bore the wounds Jesus suffered on the cross) and had at one time been forbidden to celebrate mass publicly. The ceremony of beatification in May attracted about 200,000 faithful.

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